Argo Goes Top Of The US Box Office, With Skyfall Going Ballistic Internationally

It was certainly a slow weekend at the US box office, with no new movie coming that really excited audiences. It allowed Argo, which has been showing strong legs, to top the box office on its third week of release. Ben Affleck’s film dropped only 24% from last weekend to add another $12 million, for a total of $60 million so far.

The highest new entry was Cloud Atlas, which placed third with $9.4 million. It a disappointing but not surprising for a movie which may look too unusual and complex for the average moviegoer. Nor has it been helped by glowing reviews.

Despite it being Halloween in a few days, Silent Hill: Revelation took only $8 million, far less than the $20 million the first Silent Hill movie took on its debut. The only other new entry in the top 10 was Fun Size, which tanked with just $4 million to place 10th. Even that was better than the Gerard Butler surfing flick Chasing Mavericks, which made just $2.2 million on its opening.

While the studios had little cheer at the US box office, MGM & Sony will be far happier about the debut of Skyfall in 25 international markets. The film took a stonking $77 million, including what’s believed to be the second biggest three-day opening ever in the UK, behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It’s opened ahead on Quantum Of Solace in nearly all markets its debuted in, suggesting it will become the highest grossing Bond to date, eventually overtaking Casino Royale’s $430 million.